Beverage-dispensing apparatus



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m TONEY "fijen 27, "1927 E. ERNST BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed0011.15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

i UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE.

EMIL ERNST, OFMAILEWOOD, MISEOILI,

ASSIGNOIt UDO` NORBERT L. LAMM, IRVING W. LONGACRE, AND EMIL ERNST,GMIPRISING THE 0F C. l. ROOT BEER COM- PANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BEVERAGE-DISPENSIN APPARATUSi Application filed Octoberl, 1924. SerialNo. P2"9=3,379.

My invention relates generally to beverage dispensing apparatus and,more especially, to a certain new and use'lul improvement in that classet dispensers wherein it is desirable that the beverage be carbonated ornnpregnated with air, `whereby the liquid may he served with a head ortoaiu.

My present invention has tor chiell ol1- ject the provision et an appaatus oi' the type stated by `which the proportions of so called foam andsolid oit the dispensed fluid or liquid maybe regulated and.controlledhy the operator. l

My present invention has for a further object the provision et anapparatus et the type stated which is compact in term and construction,having a greatly reduced nuinher of parts, occupying a much smallerspace, and requiring a inuch smaller investment than heretofore withapparatus et this type. And with the above and other objects in vieiv,my. present invention resides in the novel features oit forni,construction, arrangement. and combination et parts hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a. perspective vieiv of a dispensing apparatus embodying myinvention;

igure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the preferred 'form oitdispensing element or member ot the apparatus;

Figure is a longitudinal view, mainly in section, ot'thedispensing-faucetg f Figure 4i isan elevational, so-called func-- tionalView oit the faucet;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view et the faucet;

Figure G is a perspective view of a modified torni ot dispensing`apparanus embodying my invention, and

Figures 7 and 8 are crossssectional views taken approximately on lines7--7 and SMS, respectively, Figure 5.

Dispensing apparatus For delivering higlily aeratedbeverages haveheretotore, so :tar as I am aware, consisted ot' a retrigeratiugelement, a loiv pressure air ank, a liquid container, and a highpressure air tanlt. Each of these apparatus also includes suitablepiping, cocltsj gauges,and connections which require proper and constantadjustments, occupy considerable space, and in vulve a. relatively largeinvestment.

It is desirable in serving highly aerated beverages, such as ispopularly known as root heer, that they he served with ahead of team,which is produced by impregnating the liquid at the time it is drawnwith either atmospheric or carbonated air. Hence the l'unction et theapparatus is twofold; namely, it must discharge a. measured quair tityot socalled solid liquid and at the saine time must dischargea` measuredquanu tity of air or recalled foam The dispensing method heretofore inuse consisted ot proviiling a tank et conipicssed air under loivpressure, which 'Was discharged into a caslt` containing the liquid,thereby forcing the liquid to flow out through the faucet at a higherlevel. In addition thereto, there as provided ai tank containingcon'iprcssed. air at a very much higher pre sure, which was, also,caused to be discharged through the saine orifice as the liquidand airalready mentioned.

It is, therefore, apparent that, as `the liquid in the tank decreasesand the air pressure trom the low pressure tank decreases, theproportions ei liquid and air dispensed are subject to wide variation,so that the head or team varies accordingly.

By my improved apparatus I am enabled to dispense entirely with the lowpressure tank and have so combined the operation et the high pressuretank with the dispone ing chamber thatit automatically maintains auniform amount ot' aeration at all times, While at the saine time, thecharacter, `that is to say, the proportions oit" cufo-called solid andtoamf et the dispensed liquid are readily controlled and regulated.

Referring new more in detail `to the accon'lpanying drawings, 1designates a suitable cashl or cooler, which preferably has a detachablelid 2, and is mounted ou a table or other suitable stand Suitable legs 4are provided to enable a connectingpipe l5 to enter the bottom of thecaslr or other container l The `other end el the pipe 15 is connected toa herinetically sealed ta'nlc (i, which is provided with suitableneedlevalves 7 and 7h to regulate the flow el the gases and liquidscontained in the tank G. The tank G contains a predeterminedamount ofliquid and is then subjected to an air pressure by any suitable outsidemeans.

W'ithiu the cash l, a supplylcharnher S is provided and so positionedthat broken ice or other refrigerating substance 9, may be packed aroundit, the chamber or receptacle 8 being suitably supported in position, asby means of the connecting pipes, as shown. The supply tank 8 isprovidedwith a float 10, centrally positioned therein and adapted to rise andfall with the level of the liquid containedY in the supply tank 8. Avalvestem 11, is connected. at the center of the float10- and extendsupwardly through an opening 12 in ,thetop of the supjily-chamber 8suiiiciently large to vent the tank when the air-valve. is ofi` itsseat. Adjacent the end of the valve'stem l11 is a valve seat 13. Aconventional pressure reducing and regulatingv valve 14 is mounted uponthe supply pipe 15, which leads at itsupper end into the supply-chamber8 and at its lower end coinmunicates with the pressure-tank 6.4

Suitably mounted upon the cask 1, as best 'seen in Figure 2, is a faucet18, which comprises a body 19, rigidly fitting in recesses in which arenon-rotatable, preferably hexagonal Washers 20 and 20a. Through thewashers 20, 20a, are perforations or orifices 21, 2 1a respectively, inconstant open communication lwith ducts 22, 22a, respectively, Vin -thefaucet-body 19. Leading from the faucet-body 19 into a nozzle 23, areoutletpassages orduets 24 and 24a, one of which, namely, the duct 24,being preferably of larger diameter than the other. Mounted forrotatorymovement upon the faucet-body 19, are members 25 and 25a formed with U-,shaped orifices 26, 26, respectively. Tension-screws 27 and 27 af areprovided to hold therotatable members 25 and 25a in unleakable contactwith the washers 20 and 20, and 40 also for the purpose of adjustingagainst wear of the contacting members 20 and 25 and 20` and 25. Therotatable members 25 and 25a are caused to rotate by means of a lever orhandle 28, the outer end of which ispreferably spherical, but may bemade in any ornamental design, the opposite end be- `ing forked andadapted to straddle the body 19 of the faucet and having the terminalsof its forks rigidly fixed to the rotatable members 25 and 25.

Leading from, and in open communication at one end with, the supply-pipe15 intermediate its ends, as at 16, is al branch pipe 17, preferablycoiled for cooling purposes within they cask 1 and which, at its otherend, is in communication with the duct 22, and, as

' best seen in Figure 3, a suitable needleand air-valve 29 is providedupon the faucet to regulate the flow of liquid from the supplytank 6through the faucet-duct 22.

Leading from the tank or chamber 8 to the other duct 22, is a liquidsupply-pipe 30.

Normally, as'when thelever or handle 28 is in a vertical position or inthe position shown in full lines in Figure 4, the parts outlet 24 of thefaucet 18. Then the handle 28 is further swung forwardly or into thedotted position indicated at B, Figure 4, the orifices 21 and 26continue in registration and the U-.shaped orifice 26 in the rotatablemember 25 is also brought into registration with the orifice 21 ofwasher 20, when both the air and liquid under high pressure from thetank 6 is permitted to fiow through the faucet-outlet 24 simultaneouslywith the socalled solid fluid. Thus, the one outlet opening in advanceof and conversely closing behind the other, the operator is enabled toreadily control the character, that is to say, the solid and foam parts,of the dispensed beverage.

The pressure-regulating valve 14 is interposed in the pipe-line 15between the tank 6 and the supply-chamber 8. This valve may be of anyconventional type, and its purpose is to reduce the pressure in the Huidflowing from tank 6 into tank 8 to a point or amount that but a smallquantity of air will escape into the supply chamber 8 and out throughthe air-valve 12. The liquid carried along with the air through pipe 15will discharge into the supply tank 8 until the level rises sufficientlyhigh to cause the float 10 to close the air valve. When the quantity ofair or pressure within the supply tank 8 rises to a point where neitherair nor liquid will fiow into the supply chamber, the flow from tank 6into tank 8 ceases, until the fioat 10 has again lowered as the supplyis drawn from the tank 8 by means of the faucet 18, when the same c vcleof operation will again be repeated. Thus a constant air pressure and aconstant liquid level are maintained in the supply tank 8, so thatsubstantially uniform amount of aeration takes place each time thefaucet is operated.

The tank 6 is made of suitable material to cause it to withstandrelatively high hydraulic and pneumatic pressures and is hernieticallysealed by means of a conventional type ejector provided with theregulating -needle valves 7 and 72l for adjusting the amount of air andliquid to be discharged through the single discharge 15.

A conventional pressure gauge 31 indicates the pressure at which air andliquid is flowing into the supply chamber 8.

A modified form of my invention is shown in Figure 6. where, instead ofplacing the pressure-gauge and pressure-reducing valve within thecontainer l, both are disposed beneath and on tbe outside of thecontainer l, as shown. A cut-ofi valve 32 may be used to prevent theflow of liquid and air from the tank 6 when adjusting the pressure valveM,

I am aware that changes in the iorm, construction, arrangement, andcombination of the several parts of .my new dispensing apparatus may bemade and substituted for those herein shown described Without departingfrom the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

In a beverage dispensing apparatus, a. faucet including' a body-1nember,first and second inlet ports leading into the body*` member, adischargemozzle, first and second outlet ports separately leading fromthe body-member into the nozzle, and means for successively establishingcommunication between tlie first inlet and outlet ports and between thesecond inlet and outlet ports, respectively, the first pair in advanceof the other, then maintaining communication simultaneously between therespective pairs of ports, and then successively breaking communicationbetween the respective pairs of ports, the second pair in advance of thefirst, whereby fluid entering the iirst inlet port is first admitted tothe discharge-nozzle and the last to be eut ofi", said means comprisinga pair of separate orilced valveanembers mounted for rotatory movementin the bodymember, and a single oscillatory lever for rotatorilyactuating both said valve1nembers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication.

EMIL ERNST.

